


Retrograde

by Lynnyburd



Category: Watch Dogs (Video Games)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-12-19
Updated: 2017-12-18
Packaged: 2019-02-16 20:30:09
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 897
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13061580
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lynnyburd/pseuds/Lynnyburd
Summary: Marcus didn't think that the Shuffler was real. What harm could come of investigating it? His foolishness leads to him being stuck with something far stronger than him. And it could put everything he loves in danger.





	Retrograde

Blood. It was left on his tongue- metallic and sharp. Familiar but misplaced. Why the hell did he taste blood?

His eyes were heavy and with great effort Marcus managed to push them open. The small act left him exhausted but he needed to move. The ground was hard and cold beneath him and it did little to ease his confusion. All that swam in his vision was the dirty alley wall before him. 

“What-" 

“Marcus are you okay!?””

Okay? The words, Josh’s words’, brought a moment of clarity. There had been pain- blinding pain that was far from the normal physical wounds he was familiar with. It was something that had come from his bones. Searing through him like a fire that couldn’t be put out. Bringing blinding light to his eyes and-  
  
Pushing himself up he quietly muttered to himself remembering the flash of numbers, “That can’t have happened...”  
  
His voice was barely a whisper and it was clear Josh didn’t catch his words, “Marcus?”   
  
The concern added guilt to the overwhelming sense of confusion Marcus felt. Every clue left behind towards the ‘Shuffler’ all ended here. Where he was no doubt going to debunk this, relieve Josh and maybe even find some clue about the people who were missing. But instead he had blacked out and all that remained of the- fuck- encounter? Was a headache the size of Dusan’s ego.   
  
Swallowing against the taste in his mouth he was aware of his aching tongue. So he had bitten it. Did he have a seizure? Something brought on by a hallucination. Just like what he had experienced in the graveyard before coming here. Wrench must’ve spiked the cookies in the Hackerspace again. It wouldn’t be the first time. All he had to do was wait it out and try to let this whole Shuffler mess go. He loved a good Creepypasta as much as the next person but this had gone too far.   
  
Pushing himself up on his knees he glanced ahead at the busy street at the mouth of the alley. It was blurry indicating he had rubbed his glasses in the dirt when he fell. At least that was his hope and if not, Wrench was going to be buying him a new pair. Reaching up he opened his mouth to crack a joke at Wrench. Going to inform him that whatever happened here was his fault. But the second he removed the glasses he froze, all words dying on his lips.  
  
He could see. 20/20 sight had never existed for Marcus Holloway but now, as clear as day, he could see the street and the people in front of him. Hell, he could see even better than that.  
  
“The fuck!?” He swore under his breath trying to wrap his head around what had happened.   
  
It was the first time he would feel _it_. Just below his skin, right below the hairs of his arm, a slight tingling like a small current of electricity. No- it was more like crawling sensation which moved up his back drawing gooseflesh as it went.   
  
_There is more I can offer you than that._  
  
For a moment Marcus wanted to believe he hadn’t heard a voice in the back of his head. But then it spoke again clear as day as the sensation spread through his body. Suddenly everything over the past year he had faced felt mute. All of the pain in his body felt like a distant memory. And his only thought was what he had consumed to bring this about and what he could do to be rid of it. But this was far beyond hacking.   
  
_You came here, you figured it out and now you are mine. It is as simple as that._  
  
Scrambling to his feet Marcus bolted. He didn’t stop running until he had made it back to his motorcycle parked a few cars down. Leaping onto the bike he tried to ignore the panic of just how well he could see. He tried to ignore the fact that there was another voice in his head. He tried to ignore the electric crawling sensation twisting itself around his bones.   
  
“You got this, you’ll figure it out…” Marcus kept repeating the mantra under his breath. And for a moment he believed it.  
  
Right until he stepped into his apartment and tried to hurry down the entrance hall to his room. He caught a reflection in the mirror there and froze, stepping back and glancing at it. It took everything in him not to scream. The calm demeanor he wore so well melting instantly at the sight before him.  
  
There was a _creature_ staring back at him. It was tall, unnaturally so, with inky skin that moved constantly. It’s face was distorted but he could barely make out horns and even without a mouth Marcus could tell it was grinning. The rest of it appeared human standing with it’s back rigid as it watched him. And that was when hope died quietly in his chest. This wasn’t something he could handle.   
  
It wasn’t hacking, it wasn’t fighting- it was something else.  
  
 _Now you see. The sooner you give up- the better._  
  
“Fuck you,” Marcus took every bit of his bravery to raise his middle finger and then he stormed down the hall.  
  
Under his skin he could practically feel _it_ laughing. 

**Author's Note:**

> The first chapter is a bit slow but trust me when I say I have some fun plans for this one. I hope you all enjoy!


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